Pimento Jamaican Kitchen and owner Derek “Tomme” Beevas are staring down a pair of civil lawsuits that together seek about $1.3 million in unpaid loans and back rent, turning up the heat on a restaurateur who rose to local prominence after the George Floyd unrest. The filings center on the lakeside Pimento on the Lake and a downtown St. Paul location, naming Beevas and his businesses in multiple complaints and leaving neighbors and employees wondering what comes next for a well-known Twin Cities food enterprise.
According to the Star Tribune, the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA) says Pimento stopped making payments on three loans and that late fees and interest have pushed the balance above $1 million. MEDA’s complaint lists a $670,000 loan from July 2023, a $250,000 loan from November 2023 and a $50,000 loan from December 2023, and asks the court to require repayment and permit repossession of equipment and other collateral. Those claims make up the bulk of the financial exposure tied to the lakeside restaurant.
How the lakeside project was financed
Pimento on the Lake opened after the rebuilt Bde Maka Ska pavilion reopened in October 2022, part of a high-profile parks project highlighted by the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board. The pavilion restaurant and a companion market were backed by financing that involved MEDA in partnership with U.S. Bank’s Impact Finance program, which promoted the deal as a way to bring patient capital to a Black-owned small business. Those funding arrangements now sit at the center of MEDA’s claim that loans tied to the lakeside site were not repaid as agreed.
St. Paul landlord sues over rent
A separate suit by building owner VCI‑VICRAMP alleges the downtown St. Paul Pimento began missing rent payments in 2024 and now owes roughly $109,000 in back rent, about $306,000 in future rent through 2028 and $6,800 for an unpaid water bill, according to the Star Tribune. That complaint, filed Jan. 23, asks the court to collect unpaid amounts and to enforce remaining lease obligations. Taken together, the MEDA and landlord filings seek remedies that could include monetary judgments and the seizure of business assets that were pledged as collateral.
Beevas’ local profile and community work
Beevas has been widely profiled for community relief efforts in Minneapolis, including organizing food drives and assistance during and after the 2020 unrest, a long feature in the Los Angeles Times recounted. That high-profile role helped turn Pimento into a neighborhood anchor for many residents, even as rapid expansion and layered financing increased the operation’s exposure. Local small-business advocates say the unfolding case underscores how quickly ambitious growth can strain restaurants that operate with multiple lenders and thin margins…